things she loves
/I completely owe this idea to a picture I found on Eren's photostream. It was the perfect find, not only because it was the day before Valentine's, but also because I was looking for something a little "light" for our school day that afternoon.
At Christmas I had purchased a three-pack of painting canvases for the girls and stashed them away--forgetting to put them under the tree. They were perfect for this project.

On each canvas I painted the text. That day, the girls sat at their desks and started brainstorming on a piece of paper all the things they loved...they kept their paper handy and as inspiration hit, they jotted something else down. (Can you tell what book Emma just finished reading?)
They were so into this project. It was so much fun. It kept such a positive focus. And they revisited it over and over. In fact, I still catch them pulling their canvases down from the ledge where they hang and adding something new.

I painted in acrylics. They wrote with my set of colored sharpies.
And I can't recommend this simple, fun project enough.
P.S. Click here for a "translation" of Mary's words.